Supreme Court Declines Challenge to HC Order in Amaravati Land Pooling Case
Top court refuses to interfere with the Andhra Pradesh High Court decision that quashed the 2021 criminal case against Chandrababu Naidu and P. Narayana, while clarifying that other cases must be examined independently.
NEW DELHI/AMARAVATI, AUGUST 16, 2026: The Supreme Court has declined to interfere with an Andhra Pradesh High Court judgment quashing a 2021 criminal case against Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Municipal Administration Minister P. Narayana concerning alleged irregularities in the Amaravati land pooling scheme.
A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana, refused to entertain a challenge filed by former YSRCP MLA Alla Rama Krishna Reddy against the High Court's July 15 judgment.
However, the Supreme Court clarified that the High Court ruling would not affect any other cases, which must be considered separately on their own facts and merits.
WHAT HAPPENED
Senior advocate Ranjit Kumar, representing Rama Krishna Reddy, argued that the allegations concerned alleged irregularities involving around 30,000 acres and more than 25,000 farmers.
The Chief Justice said the court remained concerned about farmers' interests and indicated that their legitimate entitlements would be protected.
At the same time, the Bench questioned the foundation of the criminal proceedings, noting that the case had been initiated by a political rival and that no farmer had approached the court with a complaint.
The CJI observed that political disputes should not be pursued through criminal litigation.
THE 2021 CASE
The FIR was registered on March 12, 2021, under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act following a complaint by then Mangalagiri MLA Alla Rama Krishna Reddy.
The CID investigation named Naidu, Narayana and others as accused and invoked provisions of the IPC, SC/ST Act and Assigned Lands Act.
Naidu and Narayana subsequently approached the High Court seeking quashing of the proceedings.
AMARAVATI LAND POOLING SCHEME
The dispute relates to the Amaravati land pooling scheme, under which agricultural land was voluntarily pooled for the development of the proposed capital instead of being acquired through conventional compulsory acquisition.
Under the scheme, eligible farmers surrendering agricultural land were to receive developed residential and commercial plots, subject to the applicable provisions.
Government records cited in the case stated that 28,181 landowners across 25 villages contributed 35,215 acres of private agricultural land.
ALLEGATIONS
The complaint alleged that the government subsequently modified aspects of the land pooling framework to extend benefits to certain categories of assigned land.
The allegations included claims that:
Benefits were allegedly extended to certain private individuals and encroachers.
Poor and marginalised landholders were allegedly disadvantaged.
Some SC and ST farmers were allegedly misled or pressured.
Intermediaries allegedly exploited concerns surrounding assigned land.
The alleged actions resulted in losses to affected landholders.
These remain allegations and were the subject of the criminal proceedings.
WHY THE HIGH COURT QUASHED THE FIR
The Andhra Pradesh High Court examined whether government policy decisions and executive orders connected with the Amaravati land pooling framework could constitute a criminal conspiracy.
The court considered the APCRDA Act, 2014, which provided for land pooling as an alternative to compulsory acquisition.
Justice Y. Lakshmana Rao held that treating government policy decisions and government orders as criminal conspiracy was legally unsustainable in the circumstances of the case.
The High Court concluded that the Amaravati decisions had passed through governmental processes and had legislative backing.
It consequently held that the FIR lacked sufficient legal foundation and was affected by mala fides and alleged political vendetta, and quashed Crime No. 5 of 2021 registered by the CID at Amaravati, Mangalagiri.
SUPREME COURT'S POSITION
The Supreme Court's latest decision leaves the High Court's order undisturbed.
However, the Bench specifically clarified that the judgment does not automatically determine the outcome of any other proceedings connected with the broader Amaravati land or related issues.
Those matters, if pending, will have to be assessed independently according to their facts and legal merits.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
The immediate criminal proceedings covered by the High Court's quashing order remain unaffected by the Supreme Court's refusal to interfere.
Any separate cases or proceedings concerning Amaravati land pooling will continue to be considered independently, in accordance with the Supreme Court's clarification.
